My First Circuit

jklug80's picture

As you can see God spoke and there was LIGHT!

I'm trying to get the circuit thing down. I can code all day long but this electronic stuff is tricky...

Once I get it down pat I'll post some walkthoughs so other people like me who lack the electronics background can get stuff going easier. I won't post all my minor successes, but I did do a jig when the little light went on. My Picaxe stuff shipped today so I won't post more until I have motors and wheels moving ;)

The journey of a thousand robots begins with a single LED.

100_0015.JPG

GroG's picture

Congratulations! It's a baby

Congratulations!
It's a baby Cray .....

He's soo cuuute! 

GroG

fritsl's picture

That is one nice LED! :D I

That is one nice LED! :D

I am not sure I would be able to make it myself - thet electronics is a hard nut to my experience! (for my kinda brains)

There are simulators out there. The few times I make circuits or the like, I always just download a simulator and burn things in that till it works in there, then put it together IRL. 

/ Fritsl

TigPT's picture

nice.. thats the spirit..

nice.. thats the spirit.. next one will be a blinking one!! =D
vince086's picture

I ve got no idea how to use

I ve got no idea how to use resistors or whatever there called to prevent the LED from burning out, just use a small curent and hope for the best. Unfortunatley that techinique doesnt work that often so i end up burning out alot of LED s. Hope one day to learn how to corectly use LEDs   
TigPT's picture

How to select the correct resistence

to limit the corrent that pass by the led, just do V = R I

I = V / R

i sugest 15mA, so:

15mA = V / R

you know the voltage that you aplly, 5V or 9V, or something.. so just need know the resistor to limit it, so:

 R = V / 15 mA

if V = 5V,  5/15 = 0,333(3) so use a 330 Ohm resistence

if V = 9V, 9/15 = 0,6 so use a 600 Ohm resistece.. if you can't find one use somthing close to it value.. does not to be the exactly value.

do the same to other voltages that you aplly.

 

Hope i helped you to understand it.

TigPT

Tiago Rodrigues

jip's picture

Just remember to do the

Just remember to do the calculations in compatible units :-). If you use milli-amperes like in your example the result will be in kilo-ohms.

I always do calculations using volts, amperes and ohms (known as SI-units ... no milli-, kilo- or mega- etc). Then you will get

R = 5 V / 0.015 A = 333.33... ohms

TigPT, you seem to know a great deal about all this electronics stuff. Are you studying electronics or something like that?

- Jimmy

 

TigPT's picture

Thanks for complete it, I'm

Thanks for complete it, I'm sorry, but I'm so used to it that i forgot the units.

I'm studding Informatics Engineer, and we do some stuff with electronics and electronic logic to understand whats inside the computers, and so on.. The rest its my own researches about it, just because i like it =P

 

TigPT

Tiago Rodrigues

jka's picture

Voltage drop

Aren't you supposed to use the supply voltage minus the  forward voltage drop in the equation? Like:

R = (Vs-Vf)/I.  The forward voltage dropdiffers from LED to LED, so consult your datasheet. I found a table on the net somewhere, that I use as a guideline:

Infrared 0,7 - 1,5 V
Red 1,8 V
Yellow 2 V
Green 2,2 V
Blue 3 V
White / Ultraviolet 3,3 - 3,6 V

So, to power a red LED with 20mA from a 5V source, the equation is: R=(5-1.8)/0.020=160ohm.

Which also means that you can't power a yellow LED with a 1.5V battery, because your supply voltage must be higher than the forward voltage drop.

 

TigPT's picture

think the zenner difrence

think the zenner difrence from the collor leds are not so big, but anyway, its a round value if you make it for 15mA you have a gap to secure that you don't burn it.. anyway i will reaserch it
Chris the Carpenter's picture

I can build but not code...

We should team up! I solder like a master and can build anything -metal or wood... I code like shit though... 

www.rocketbrandcustom.com baby!!

GroG's picture

My code looks like spagetti

My code looks like spagetti and my solder looks like chicken splatter,
who's gonna team up with me?

GroG 

TigPT's picture

lolz.. lets make a

lolz.. lets make a straganoff ^_^ with the spargetti and the chicken, adding some mushrooms...
GroG's picture

Brilliant !You just gave me

Brilliant !

You just gave me a great idea for a new project !  OSRC Open Source Robot Cookbook 

mmmm ... hungry already - I will continue to update it - feel free to add or change anything when you want..

 Yum.

TigPT's picture

hehe, go on, i'm with you

hehe, go on, i'm with you

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